The artificial intelligence industry could consume as much energy as a country the size of the Netherlands by 2027, a new study warns.
Many experts, including the report author, say such research is speculative as tech firms do not disclose enough data for an accurate prediction to be made. By looking at the amount of these computers it is expected to deliver by 2027, he was able to approximate a range for the energy consumption of AI of 85-134 terrawatt-hours of electricity each year."You would be talking about the size of a country like the Netherlands in terms of electricity consumption. You're talking about half a per cent of our total global electricity consumption," he told BBC News.
Danny Quinn, boss of the Scottish data centre firm DataVita, said his company has gone from receiving "one or two enquiries a week" at the start of 2023 about using his facility to house AI kit, to receiving hundreds. Speaking to the BBC in July, she said: "These energy-intensive systems take enormous amounts of electricity and energy, but also enormous amounts of water to cool these gigantic AI supercomputers. So we are really looking at an enormous extractive industry for the 21st Century."